The man. The legend. Though the man had only a few years on this planet, the legend lives on. One of the most influential guitar players of all time, Hendrix has inspired thousands of musicians to push boundaries and create new sounds.

Jimi Hendrix was mostly self-taught when it came to the guitar but his passion made up for any lack of musical education. He joined a few bands as a teenager and after he was discharged from the Army, he began working as a session player and backup musician for performers like Ike and Tina Turner, the Isley Brothers and Sam Cooke.  While playing at a Greenwich Village club, Hendrix was discovered by Chas Chandler, who would eventually become his manager. Chandler brought Hendrix to England and held auditions for a supporting band, hiring Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums; the new band was called the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The trio developed a loud, hard sound that bore definite blues and psychedelic influences. Their first Top 10 hit, “Hey Joe,” exemplified that very sound; “Purple Haze,” which was decidedly heavy metal before that genre had even coalesced, soon followed it. Other hits from their debut album Are You Experienced included “The Wind Cries Mary,” “Fire” and “Foxey Lady.” An intense touring schedule of Europe brought the band many loyal fans.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience came to American shores in 1967, appearing at the seminal Monterey Pop Festival where Hendrix’s stage antics reached a pinnacle: while performing on stage, he set his guitar on fire. The image of Hendrix on his knees, coaxing the flames higher is entirely iconic and evocative of that troubled era. The Experience toured with the Monkees after that and by the end of the year Are You Experienced had reached #5 in the U.S. charts. Another album followed quickly, called Axis: Bold as Love. Hendrix showcased his serpentine playing with songs like “Little Wing,” “Castles Made of Sand” and “If 6 Was 9.” The band continued to tour worldwide and also recorded a third album, Electric Ladyland in 1968. This latest endeavor was a double album that left the rest of the music world in the dust. It went to #1 and gave us songs like the cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” as well as “Voodoo Child” and “Crosstown Traffic.”

The group disbanded in 1969 but Hendrix appeared at the Woodstock Music Festival and performed a unique rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Much like the burning guitar, this moment helped immortalize Hendrix and established him as a symbol of the decade.

Hendrix formed another group, the Band of Gypsys, late in 1969 and released a live album of their first concert right away. He also started recording with the Experience again but the planned album was thwarted by Hendrix’s untimely death in 1970. All in all, he had about five years in which to make his mark but boy, did he ever. Hendrix was a prolific recording artist and his complex compositions have influenced virtually every musician who came after him.